Colonel Drinkwater's 'Narrative' Admiral Jervis' Dispatches as published in the London Gazette, 3rd March 1797 Admiral Jervis' Private Letter to Earl Spencer, 16th Feb 1797 Nelson's 'Remarks' (draft) Nelson's 'Remarks' (published; signed by Berry and Miller)

 

Admiral Jervis' Dispatches as published in the London Gazette, 3rd March 1797

 

After the battle, Jervis sent his captain of the Victory back to England with this report of the battle, which he gave to Evan Nepean, who was secretary to the Board of Admiralty. 

 

Victory, in Lagos Bay, February 16th 1797

Sir,

The hopes of falling in with the Spanish fleet, expressed in my Letter to you of the 13th instant, were confirmed that Night, by our distinctly hearing the Report of their Signal Guns, and by Intelligence received from Captain Foote, of His Majesty's Ship the Niger, who had, with equal Judgement and Perseverance, kept Company with them for several days, on my prescribed Rendezvous, (which, from the strong South-East Winds, I had never been able to reach) and that they were not more than the Distance of Three or Four Leagues from us.   I anxiously awaited the Dawn of Day, when, being on the Starboard Tack, Cape St Vincent being East by North Eight Leagues, I had the Satisfaction of seeing a Number of Ships extending from South West to South, the Wind then at West by South.  At Forty-nine minutes past Ten, the Weather being extremely hazy, La Bonne Citoyenne made the Signal that the Ships seen were of the Line, Twenty-five in Number.  His Majesty's Squadron, under my command, consisting of the Fifteen Ships of the Line named in the Margin [Victory, Britannia, Barfleur, Prince George, Blenheim, Namur, Captain, Goliath, Excellent, Orion, Colossus, Egmont, Culloden, Irresistible and Diadem] happily formed in the most compact Order of Sailing, in Two Lines. 

By carrying a Press of Sail I was fortunate in getting in with the Enemy's Fleet at Half past Eleven o'Clock, before it had Time to connect, and form a regular Order of Battle.  Such a Moment was not to be lost; and, confident in the Skill, Valour and Discipline of the Officers and Men I had the Happiness to command, and judging that the Honor of His Majesty's Arms and the Circumstances of the War in these seas required a considerable Degree of Enterprise, I felt myself justified in departing from the regular System; and passing through their Fleet, in a Line formed with the utmost Celerity, tacked, and thereby separated One-third from the main Body, after a partial Connonade, which prevented their Rejunction till the Evening; and by the very great Exertions of the Ships which had the good Fortune to arrive up with the Enemy on the Larboard Tack, the Ships named in the Margin [Salvador del Mundo (112), San Josef (112), San Nicolas (80), San Ysidro (74)] were captured, and the Action ceased about Five o'Clock in the Evening.

I enclose the most correct List I have been able to obtain of the Spanish Fleet opposed to me, amounting to Twenty-Seven Sail of the Line, and an Account of the Killed and Wounded in His Majesty's Ships, as well as in those taken from the Enemy.  The Moment the latter (almost totally dismasted) and His Majesty's Ships the Captain and Culloden are in a State to put to Sea I shall avail myself of the first favourable Wind to proceed off Cape St Vincent in my Way to Lisbon.

Captain Calder, whose able Assistance has greatly contributed to the Publick Service during my Command, is the Bearer of this, and will more particularly describe to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty the Movements of the Squadron on the 14th, and the present State of it.

I am, Sir, &c.,

J. JERVIS

List of the British Killed and Wounded

Ship	Killed	Wounded
Victory	1	5
Britannia	0	1
Barfleur	0	7
Prince George	8	7
Blenheim	12	49
Namur	2	5
Captain	24	56
Goliath	0	8
Excellent	11	12
Orion	0	9
Colossus	0	5
Egmont	0	0
Culloden	10	47
Irresistible	5	14
Total	73	227

Officers Killed and Wounded

Ship	Killed	Wounded
Captain	Major William Norris, of the Marines. James Godinch, Midshipman.	Commodore Nelson, bruised, but not obliged to quit the deck. Mr Carrington, Boatswain, wounded in boarding the San Nicolas. Mr Thomas Lund, Midshipman.
Excellent	Peter Peffers, Boatswain.	Edward Augustus Down, Master's Mate.
Culloden	G.A.Livingstone, Lieut. of Marines.	-
Irresistible	Sergeant Watson of the Marines.	Andrew Thompson, Lieutenant. Hugh McKinnon, Master's Mate. William Balfour, Midshipman
Blenheim	-	Edward Sibby, Acting Lieutenant. Mr. Peacock, Boatswain. Joseph Wixon, Master's Mate.
Orion	-	Thomas Mansel, Midshipman.

 

List of the Killed and Wounded Aboard the Spanish Ships Taken

Ship	Killed	Wounded
San Ysidro	4 Officers, 25 Artillerists, Seamen and Soldiers.	8 Officers, 55 Artillerists etc.
Salvador del Mundo	5 Officers, 37 Artillerists etc.	3 Officers, 121 Artillerists etc.
San Nicolas	4 Officers, 140 Artillerists etc.	8 Officers, 51 Artillerists etc.
San Josef	2 Officers, 44 Artillerists etc.	5 Officers, 91 Artillerists etc.

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Admiral Jervis' Private Letter to Earl Spencer, 16th Feb 1797

The Admiral's official dispatches were remarkable in that, with the exception of Captain Calder, they made no mention of any flag-officer, nor of the exceptional actions of Nelson, Troubridge and Collingwood.  He did, however, go some way to rectifying that in his private letter to Earl Spencer, the First Lord of the Admiralty, but as the letter wasn't published it wasn't much consolation to them.

 

HMS Victory, in Lagos Bay, 16th February 1797 My Lord, The correct conduct of every Officer and man in the squadron on the 14th inst. made it improper to distinguish one more than another in my public Letter, because I am confident that had those who were least in action been in the situation of the fortunate few, their behaviour would not have been less meritous; yet to your Lordship it becomes me to state that Captain Troubridge, in the Culloden, led the Squadron through the Enemy in a masterly style, and tacked the instant the Signal flew, and was gallantly supported by the Blenheim, Prince George, Orion, Irresistible, and Colossus; the latter had her fore and fore-top-sail yards wounded, and they unfortunately broke in the slings in stays, which threw her out, and impeded the tacking of the Victory. Commodore Nelson, who was in the rear on the starboard tack, took the lead on the larboard, and contributed very much to the fortune of the day, as did Captain Collingwood; and in the close, the San Josef and San Nicolas having fallen foul of each other, the Captain laid them on board, and Captain Berry, who served as a volunteer, entered at the head of the boarders, and Commodore Nelson followed immediately, and took possession of them both; the crippled state of these Ships, and of the Captain, entangled as they were, and that part of the Enemy's Fleet, which had been kept off in the morning (as described in the public letter) joining at the instant, it became necessary to collect the Squadron, to resist an attempt to wrest those Ships, and the Salvador del Mundo and the San Ysidro, from us, which occasioned the discontinuance of the Action. The Enemy has still twenty-two Ships of the Line and nine Frigates in condition for service off Cape St. Vincent, and the moment our damaged Ships are repaired, and proper jury-masts, &c., raised on board the Prizes, I shall face him in my way to Lisbon.  The Ships' returns of killed and wounded, although not always the criterion of their being more or less in Action, is, in this instance, correctly so.  If I succeed in getting our Trophies into the Tagus, it is my intention to place Masters and Commanders in them all.  Captain Hallowell, whose conduct on board the Victory during the Action has made him more dear to me than before, declining this sort of service on account of the idleness it is likely to produce, I request, as the greatest favour your Lordship can confer on me, that you will have the goodness to give him the command of a large Frigate, manned, and allow him to serve under my Command. It is with great repugnance I say anything to your Lordship about promotions, knowing how much you must be pressed upon at home; but Commodore Nelson being uncommonly anxious to reward Lieutenants Spicer and Noble, the former now First of the Captain, and the latter most desperately wounded in the belly and shoulder on board La Minerve, in her Action with the Sabina, in addition to a shot he got in his neck on the Coast of Genoa, his father an Officer in the Army, and a brother a Midshipman in the Navy, having died on service in the West Indies, will, I trust, excuse my naming them to you a second time.  Sensible as I am of the just attention paid to the merits of all who have happened to share in successful Actions with the Enemy since you have been at the head of the Board of Admiralty, I do not presume to call your attention to others. I have omitted to notice that Rear-Admiral Sir William Parker, whose Flag was on board the Prince George, in the Van on both Tacks, made his Signals in a very officer-like manner; for the rest I beg leave to refer you to Captain Calder, who is thoroughly master of the subject, and I desire to recommend him and Captain Grey to your protection.  I had a conversation with Admiral Waldegrave on the subject of his carrying a duplicate of these Dispatches, which, as there existed a possibility of our bringing the Spanish Fleet to action a second time, he very commendably declined; perhaps your Lordship will think it due to him to send the Romney to Lisbon, to convey him, his suite, and baggage, (rather too much for a Frigate) to England.  I have the honour to be, &c. J.JERVIS

 

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